The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 64 edited for boo boos :D
-0-That night
Larc stood on the street looking around. The city sparkled and reminded her of home. That system and its many planets were far away and they had not been there in a long time. Her family was still there along with all that determined who she was. It was painful to think about it. She turned and began to walk down the street toward the big housing towers nearby. They were so many that it was impossible to see them all from her vantage point. They disappeared into the distance, their lights twinkling in the thin cold atmosphere.
She turned and walked down a sidewalk on a highway that ran through a dense grid of towers and found herself in an open space that was very clearly a park. She walked to a table and sat on it, resting her feet on the benches that were seating for it. The night was very dark and quiet. The sound of footfalls drew her eyes and she turned to see two mechs walking toward her. They reached where she sat and paused.
:Hi: Springer said nodding.
She nodded back. :I am Larc:
:I know. Drift and I were part of the party that liberated the camp you were in: Springer replied. Drift nodded as well.
:Thank you: Larc said.
:Your welcome. I'm sorry you can't go home. We sort of feel your pain: Springer said moving to sit on a table next to Larc's.
:The day will come: Larc replied. :We will help you defeat the Decepticons. They are the ones who have taken our worlds from us. They came with terrible animals, acid animals. They took our worlds away and we were enslaved. They used our telepathy to make us do work for them:
:The monsters … we have a couple in cold storage. We have had our run ins with the acid beasts too: Drift said.
Larc nodded. She looked up at the dark sky above. :We are all orphans in the storm:
They sat together talking as the evening passed by.
-0-Far away
Paragon stood in the control center of his new fortress. They were waiting for the arrival of a battle group that had left the empire heading out for greener pastures. They were a large group who would triple Paragon's power base. They would also be bringing ships and crack troops. Given that there was more than adequate energon available of an unheard of quality, the word had gotten out. Those who wanted to resurrect the Decepticons, be part of a group that was preparing to become a force and carve out a base from which to launch a takeover of the Empire were gathering.
They would do so of course under his command. He would see about that. He would also be monitoring a large refugee force that was coming their way. It would be heading onward to the Prime and his colony. He would allow it for now. He wasn't ready to challenge Optimus Prime yet but the orn was coming.
He would challenge them all.
-0-Early morning, Ops Center
The data came in and filled the overnight file for Prowl. The messages would be mostly from Earth and would have profiles of a number of things that were being tracked. One of them would mention that Boston 'Marty' Martindale was missing. An analyst from Sector 7 on medical leave, he never took his flight. He never arrived in Fiji. He disappeared.
Oh and he was an expert at codes.
-0-Later that same morning
They walked to Ops Center to begin the briefing for the insertion into Cybertron. The group would go incognito, meet with Dai Atlas, smuggle in two small replicators that were geared to energon production as well as leave after establishing communications, working out critical needs for later returns and other considerations.
Elita would lead her group and Jazz would come along to manage the team's intel collection. They would be bridged into the main shipping lanes that led to a number of worlds including Cybertron. Their ship appropriately scuffed and devoid of markings would be their taxi onto and out of Cybertron. A fake manifest and a cargo of essential but ultimately harmless electronic parts would be enough to get them a touch down at the airport in Polyhex.
Chromia walked beside her carrying the datapad with the basic plan detailed. Greenlight, Lancer, Firestar and Moonracer followed. Arcee had already reached Ops Center with Magnus who had a meeting shortly. They were in the rec room eating together. The others joined them for the wait before a meeting with Prime and Prowl to discuss their mission.
Jazz walked from Ops Center and pulled up a chair. "If this is passed we're go."
Arcee nodded watching as the others pulled out chairs to join them. "We should get a move on. If the replicators are going to do any good, we need to get them there as soon as possible. The schematics from Perceptor are hidden in the usual place," she said with a smirk. Glancing at Jazz, she grinned. "Even Magnus couldn't find them on me."
Magnus glanced at Arcee with a jaundiced optic. She patted his servo. "Roll with it, Magnus."
They sat together passing the time until Prime and Prowl walked through the door. Then they gathered and followed them into the Ops Center and a conference room beyond. They would be inside for two joors. When they finally came out, the mission was go.
-0-At the Bosom of Love ™
"Did you get the sparkling under the table?"
"I did."
"What about the one hiding behind the couch?"
"Got that one too."
"Sunspot, grab that one and hold onto him."
"I will, Ada!" (RUN! RUN! GRAB!)
"I have the femme. Grab the mechs."
"Ratchet, I only have two servos and right now they're busy."
"Ironhide, they're sparklings. What the frag is so hard here?"
(GRAB!) "Got one."
"They slipped out, Atar. They're slippery."
"That's alright, Sunspot. Got them cornered." (GRAB!)
They stood in the living room of their new extended apartment and considered the extended hoo-haw that morning had become because of it. Instead of chasing two little mechs all over a normal large abode, they were chasing them around a monster apartment. It was twice the fun.
"Orion, you are a slagger. You take after your atar," Ratchet said with a grin.
"ADA! FUN, ME! RUN, ORION!" He laughed as he was held in the iron grip of his father.
Ironhide grinned. "This is going to be harder in the mornings. Mech has all the room he needs to hide."
"Good thing he's not very good at it," Ratchet said taking Praxus to head for the wash rack in Sunspot's room. That bedroom was painfully neat, its owner making the berth and arranging his things just so. "Sunspot, this room is a showplace."
Sunspot who was following smiled. "I love it. Did you know that the sun makes shadows on the floor. I like to watch them move."
"Good science there, son," Ratchet said as he stood Praxus on a table in the wash rack to wipe his face and servos. "Are you ready to go?"
"I am," he said with a grin.
"This is the last orn of the week. Weekend comes tomorrow and in two orns a playoff game. Exciting times," Ratchet said as he put Praxus on the ground. Turning, he took Orion from Ironhide's arms. Ironhide turned and snagged Praxus before he could run away.
"Gotcha," Ironhide said as Praxus squeed.
"ADA! WHAT ME? YOU DO ME? WHY?" Orion said as Ratchet set him on the table. A wash cloth made short work of his chat and when Ratchet was finished, he looked up at his ada with the most outlandishly funny look of outrage Ratchet had seen in a while. "ADA! BAD, YOU BAD! ORION GOOD!"
"Orion loud. Orion needs punted, right Ironhide?" Ratchet asked as both of them turned to look at the big mech.
"Don't drag me into this. I'm a spectator," Ironhide said as he thoroughly enjoyed himself.
"I say Orion is a big mouth," Ratchet said.
"ADA! NO! I GOOD ME!" He stared up at Ratchet, his tiny servos on his hips as he glared at his ada.
Ratchet stifled a laugh, then glanced at Ironhide who was watching with a grin himself. "This sparkling is going to be the end of me. Maybe I should put him outside on the curb. I'm sure someone would take him."
"They'd bring him back too," Ironhide said as he took Orion from Ratchet.
They walked out and collected Hero, checked everyone's hat, book bag and servos. By the time they were harnessed up and ready to go it felt like they had been at it for two orns. Walking to the elevator, they stepped on and rode downward. Waiting in the lobby, Tie Down, Blackjack, Alor and Ravel stood and sat waiting.
"OTHER ADA!" Orion said with a smile as he looked at Alor and Ravel.
"OTHER ADA AND OTHER ADA!" He pointed at them and grinned at Ratchet and Ironhide.
"Who is that?" Ratchet said pointing to Blackjack and Tie Down. Orion studied them, then grinned. "OTHER ATAR AND OTHER ATAR!"
Everyone exclaimed, then Ratchet pointed to Praxus. "Who's that?" he asked waiting for it.
Orion looked at Praxus and grinned. "Quack," he said with a chuckle.
Ratchet snorted. "Mech has his own world going on."
"He does," Blackjack said taking the infant. He sat on his Other Atar's arm, his Mickey Mouse ear hat on and grinned. "ADA BAD! ADA OW ME, OTHER ATAR!" he said looking smugly at Ratchet as he leaned into Blackjack's chassis. "Bad ada."
Blackjack grinned. "If you expect me to spank him, you came to the wrong sucker."
"Well then, what you're saying is what Orion has is genetic from Ironhide?" Ratchet replied as they turned to walk to the door and beyond. By the time Blackjack, Tie Down, Ravel and Ironhide left for the school with the little mechs, Ratchet and Alor had covered the schedule for the next three orns.
Things permitting, Ironhide and Prime would accomplish their project the next orn. The football game would happen in which Iacon United would fight to the death with Altihex for a slot in the playoffs. If Iacon lost, PRIMUS FORBID!, then they would be the wild card. They would only be able to play that wild card if there was a tie in any of the other games. Otherwise, they would be sucking dirt.
Losers.
The stroll to Ops Center was leisurely. The conversation was great. Life was good.
So far.
-0-TBC
2013 (3)
Short one tonight. Pooped. :} Will do better tomorrow. HUGGLES!